Great news if you are selling Thailand right now. Flight access is the best it has been in a decade, and there are some genuinely exciting route changes worth knowing about.
Europe has more direct options than ever. Thai Airways is bringing back daily non-stop Bangkok-Amsterdam on the A350 from July 1 – their first direct service to the Netherlands since 1998. That takes their European non-stop network to 12 cities, with twice-daily service to London Heathrow and Frankfurt. This matters more than ever after the Gulf airspace disruptions earlier this year showed how vulnerable hub-dependent routings can be. Direct flights mean reliability, and that is something your clients will appreciate.
Scandinavia just opened up. This is a big one. SAS launches seasonal non-stop Copenhagen to Phuket (2-3x weekly) and Krabi (2x weekly) from December 2026 through to late March 2027, using A350 aircraft. That is a 75% increase in SAS Thailand capacity versus last winter. They are now the only carrier flying scheduled non-stops from Scandinavia to Bangkok, Phuket, and Krabi. If you have Nordic clients, this changes everything for winter golf trips.
India is booming. Thai Airways is adding more frequencies to Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru for Summer 2026, with new routes from Amritsar and Jaipur under consideration. One of the fastest-growing source markets and worth keeping an eye on.
China capacity is doubling. Thai Airways is taking Beijing and Guangzhou from 7 to 14 weekly flights each, plus launching new routes to Wuhan and Shenzhen.
US clients have a new option. Air Premia and Thai Airways launched a joint ticketing interline partnership on March 30, giving single-booking access from Bangkok through Seoul Incheon to Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Honolulu, and Washington D.C. There are no direct Thailand-US flights, so this is the first practical single-ticket routing and makes the conversation with American golfers much easier.
Australia stays rock-solid. Sydney and Melbourne both have twice-daily Thai Airways service. Perth is back to daily. Auckland non-stop is expected to resume later in 2026. No surprises here, just reliable access for your Aussie groups.
Phuket is becoming a fly-direct destination. Between SAS from Copenhagen, expanded China and India services, and ongoing Phuket airport terminal upgrades and slot expansion, you can increasingly route clients straight into Phuket without a Bangkok transfer. That is a real selling point for beach-and-golf itineraries.
The takeaway: If clients are on the fence about Thailand, the “getting there” conversation just got a whole lot easier. More direct flights, more source markets, more flexibility. It is a great time to be selling this destination.
For tailored golf itineraries and routing advice, get in touch at info@golfasian.com.